My son, Ben, was 5½ years old in the photo on the left. My husband, Tom, is pictured on the right … 24 years earlier. I grew up less than 10 miles from the ocean — San Francisco’s Ocean Beach was our closest access point, down the road from the world-famous Cliff House. But, as…
This book is an excellent introduction to what “walking the Camino” is all about. I decided to order this book in 2020 – a few months after I knew I wouldn’t be able to take advantage of the offer I’d received to go on a Camino tour with Spanish Steps – a travel company specializing…
Flannel shirts are still some of the most important “wardrobe items” in my closet. Nothing beats a large flannel shirt for comfort on a cold winter day! I don’t know what it is about large flannel shirts I like so much, but I’m sure the appeal started when I was a teenager, living on the…
These sea turtles and starfish are constant reminders of past visits to the beach. About 9 years ago, I began buying artwork that reminded me of the ocean. It had been over a year since our family had been able to visit our favorite beach (Stinson Beach in Marin County, just north of San Francisco),…
This quote from Albert Camus has been a favorite of mine since I was in my early teens. “In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” – Albert Camus I was only 13 or 14 when this quote of Albert Camus’s became one that I often repeated…
Google Sheets have been a lifesaver for me … especially when I’ve had to create spreadsheets. (Can you tell I’m not a fan of Microsoft Excel?) I’m not sure when I was first introduced to Google Sheets, but I think it was probably the summer of 2022 — when I started working with a client…
Oster Versa Professional Power Blender — my tool for preparing great smoothies for over a decade. Just over 10 years ago, I ordered a blender that was rated as being a good alternative to Vitamix … at a much more reasonable price: the Oster Versa Professional Power Blender. In the decade since then, I’ve used…
The Pilot G-2 07 is my favorite brand of red ballpoint pens. In the third issue of my newsletter, which I sent out in June 2023 (Proofreading … the ‘Art of Being Picky’), I said that red pens were my favorite tools for proofreading. That hasn’t changed! And to be honest, I doubt it ever…
“Garden Corner” — the perfect name for this corner of my living room. During the long months of COVID lockdown, I took advantage of the extra time I had and decorated all of the walls in our large apartment (which we’d moved to just six months before the pandemic hit). One section of my living…
My HP OfficeJet Pro 9015 is one of the most important tools in my business. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without my wireless printer. The model I have (HP OfficeJet Pro 9015) has been discontinued, but because the BRAND is good, I’ll be heading for the nearest office supply store to buy another…